Photos couretesy of MSHS Soccer
MARQUETTE---The Kingsford Flivvers beat the Marquette Redmen, 2-1, in an intense boys soccer title game to win the Upper Peninsula championship. The match went past regulation time tied at 1-1, and after overtime solved nothing, it went to penalty kicks to decide it.
Coach Jeff Gordon's Kingsford team scored three times in the shootout, while Marquette scored twice. Ben Wilson and Indigo Catalano scored for Marquette, but Jaxon Buckley, Gavyn Laydon, and Lucas Engman scored for the Flivvers, giving them the title.
Earlier, in regulation, Henry Wood scored an unassisted goal to put the Redmen in front, 1-0, in the second half, before Kingsford sophomore Will Murvich tied the match on a header off a corner kick.
In the semifinals, Marquette smoked Iron Mountain, 6-1, as Seamus Waite scored two goals and added an assist. Canyon Medina, Jack Sysko, Kaleb Chipelewski, Oscar Hill, and Catalano scored for the Redmen.
Kingsford smacked Sault Ste. Marie in the other semifinal, 6-0, as Engstrom scored twice. Nathan Kenny, Jett Buckley, and Ben Fornetti also scored in that game for the Flivvers.
This is the first time that Upper Peninsula teams are being allowed to compete in the state tournament. So, this weekend, the U.P. Champion Flivvers will face Iron Mountain in the MHSAA Division Three districts on Friday at 5:00 in Iron Mountain.
As for Marquette, the boys will be idle before facing either Alpena or Cadillac in the MHSAA Division Two districts next Wednesday, Oct. 17, in Marquette.
